Saturday, 08 April 2000
 
 

The Honourable Dan Miller
Minister of Energy and Mines
152, Parliament Buildings,
Victoria, B.C., V8V 1X4
 
 

Dear Mr. Miller:

I am writing on behalf of the Tsolum River Restoration Society

Some members of the Tsolum River Task Force, particularly those from the mining industry, believe that the Ministry of Mines must reaffirm the commitment made in the 1980's by former Mines Minister, the late Hon. Jack Davis, to fix the problem of the Mount Washington mine. To honour Mr. Davis' commitment, the Government of the day, at the instigation of our former MLA, the Hon. Stan Hagen, invested over $1.5 million to place a glacial till cover on about one-third of the mined area. Despite initial scepticism, recent years' monitoring results suggest that copper seepage from the mine has decreased by up to 50%. The mining industry members on the Task Force believe that your Ministry has an obligation to invest some of the billions of dollars that the Government of British Columbia has collected in taxes and royalties from mining in the Province in the reclamation of the Mount Washington mine.

From 1997 to 1999, Fisheries and Oceans Canada funded a $267 thousand program to assess the habitat of the Tsolum River in anticipation of the clean up of the mine problem. A community driven report on "The State of the Tsolum" has subsequently been issued in 1999. Pink, chum, and coho salmon and steelhead and cutthroat trout have been found in the non-toxic parts of the river. There is hope.

The Task Force has investigated many options for reclamation of this site—including hosting a workshop last August which included two world class experts on mine cover technology. We believe that there is a solution—or rather a combination of solutions—to this 33 year old problem. Further progress will require a commitment (investment, if you will) from the Government of British Columbia and from the mining industry.

There is an urgency to the remediation of the mine site: 1) The direct monetary loss to the sport and commercial fishery is conservatively estimated at $2 million annually; 2) This ecosystem scar is a black hole in the middle of any local attempt to develop an eco-tourism industry based on the otherwise strong environmental qualities of the Comox Valley; and, last but not least; 3) The black eye that this problem has given the mining industry inhibits the development of the mining industry in British Columbia to its full potential.

The Task Force, therefore requests that you, as Minister of Mines, 1) Reaffirm the Ministry's commitment to clean up the Mount Washington mine; and 2) Commit monies within the Budget to fund the design and implementation of action to clean up this site.

Yours Respectfully
 
 
 
 

Dave Ferguson
President, Tsolum River Restoration Society
 
 

cc:
Evelyn Gillespie, MLA;
John Duncan, MP;
Kel Kelly, Area C Director CSRD
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